‘The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.’

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

This is Everything

On Tuesday I will be lucky enough to meet both Tegan and Sara Quin both of whom mean so much to me. I promised myself that when this day eventually came I would not let this opportunity pass me by. I would write them a letter telling them everything I wanted to say, and so I have. You can read the letter below.

Dear Tegan and Sara,

Meeting you today is the culmination of a nine year dream. I am sure you get fan mail like this all the time, but I just want the opportunity to share the impact you have had on my life. You have touched me in such a profound way that you are more than mere role models, you have both been my emotional and spiritual guides through times both good and bad. Your music has been the soundtrack of my life and defined me as a human being.

Tegan and Sara are my band. You are the band of my decade. You are the band of my twenties. That stage of life when all of the possibilities are endless, and the search for identity is eternally frustrating. The decade that has marked more disappointments than victories, but with each victory it is 10,000 times more gratifying because I get to share it through your music. Actually, forget about the band of my decade: You are my once in a lifetime band.

I connect with each of you, particularly in an emotional way, not just through fan boy adulation but also through experience. I regard myself as emotionally fucked up in all the worst ways, unable to communicate my feelings properly unless shielded in a protective cocoon. But you know what? Your songs speak for me. You have taught me that it is okay to be emotionally vulnerable. You are strong enough and brave enough to communicate these feelings on my behalf. I cannot tell you how much that means to me.

Tonight will be the tenth time I have seen you live. My first experience was following you around Australia for three shows on The Con tour of 2007. Without a word of hyperbole I can safely say that seeing you live bordered on having a religious experience. There were tears, screaming, shouting, laughing and heart palpations. I quoted your lyrics like Bible verses. Seeing the band once was always destined to be a memorable experience one way or the other. Seeing you three times in four days however made it destined to be a spellbinding journey. The time I spent with you over those four days was undoubtedly the best time in my life. Sitting in the front row at the Enmore, where both of you could see me, and I could see you was so memorable that I can still remember every minute of the entire performance from five and a half years ago.

Ever since the moment I fell for both of you in June 2004 I have been wanting to thank you from the bottom of my heart: for making music that touches me deep inside my soul, for speaking up on my behalf when I cannot, for allowing your creative genius to be heard by the masses, but most importantly for being your unique selves which has given me a huge creative influence, and emotional catharsis.